PhD. Candidate, Plant Biology

University of California

Riverside, CA

Dec 2020 - 2015

MS: Horticulture

University of Georgia

Athens, GA

2015 - 2013

• Thesis: Micropropagation and Evaluation of the Genetic Population Structure of River Cane (Arundinaria giganta)

BS: Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

2010 - 2006

Research Assistant

Dept of Botany and Plant Science

University of California

2020 - 2015

• Created and characterized CRISPR mutants for a trait validation project
• Sequenced, assembled, and functionally annotated the genome of Datura stramonium
• Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellow
• Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Fellow

Research Assistant

Dept of Horticulture

University of Georgia

2015 - 2013

• Planned and executed field studies at 3 sites both public and private
• Established collaborations with researchers at 5 institutions
• University-Wide Graduate Assistantship recipient

Research Intern

Universität Rostock

Rostock, Germany

July 2012 - Jan 2012

• Developed plant transformation methods in lupine, pea, tobacco, and potato
• Investigate transgenic vaccine peptides
• Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Fellow

Research Intern

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC

Aug 2009 - May 2009

• Validated viral protein production in novel hosts
• NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program

Research Assistant

Pioneer Hi-Bred (Corteva)

Johnston, IA

2011 - 2010

• Developed SQL database to integrate phenotypic and genotypic measurements

Tools for building highly customized figures

Botany Conference

Tucson, AZ

2019

• Co-taught a workshop using base R graphics for data presentation

Making Your Work Environment LGBTQ+ Welcoming and Affirming

Plant Biology Conference

San Jose, CA

2019

• Hosted a panel discussion on LGBTQ+ representation and workplace issues
• Recruited speakers from both academia and industry

California’s Cornucopia (TA)

UCR Dept of Botany and Plant Science

Riverside, CA

2018

• Led discussion sections for 120 students
• Introductory, non-major course

Foundations of Plant Biology (TA)

UCR Dept of Botany and Plant Science

Riverside, CA

2016

• Designed and led lab sections for 80 students
• Broad, upper-division course

Datura Genome Reveals Duplications of Psychoactive Alkaloid Biosynthetic Genes and High Mutation Rate Following Tissue Culture

BMC Genomics (submitted)
Alex Rajewski, Derreck Carter-House, Jason Stajich, and Amy Litt

N/A

2020

in Vitro Plant Regeneration and Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated Transformation of Datura stramonium

Applications in Plant Science
Alex Rajewski, Kevan Elkins, Ashley Henry, Joyce Van Eck, and Amy Litt

N/A

2019

Evolution and Diversification of FRUITFULL Genes in Solanaceae

Frontiers in Plant Science
Dinusha Maheepala, Chris Emerling, Alex Rajewski, Jenna Macon, Maya Stahl, Natalia Pabón-Mora, and Amy Litt

N/A

2019

Classification and phylogenetic analyses of the Arabidopsis and tomato G-type lectin receptor kinases

BMC Genomics
Marcella A. Teixeira, Alex Rajewski, Jiangman He, Olenka G. Castaneda, Amy Litt, and Isgouhi Kaloshian

N/A

2018

Multispecies fruit transcriptomes highlight divergence across developmental and evolutionary time

Botany Conference

N/A

2020

• Oral presentation

Hybrid Origin of Bamboo Population Inferred from Haplotype-Phased Amplicon sequencing

Southern California Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics Meeting

N/A

2019

• Oral presentation

Identification of Conserved Regulatory Modules in Dry and Fleshy Fruit Development

Botany Conference

N/A

2019

• Oral presentation

There and Back Again: When Evolution Reverses

American Society for Horticultural Science Conference

N/A

2017

• Three-Minute Thesis Competition
• 3rd Place Award

Optimizing Tissue Culture Methods in Diverse Nightshade Species

American Society for Horticultural Science Conference

N/A

2017

• Poster Presentation

Developmental Transcriptome of Nicotiana obtusifolia

UC Riverside Center for Plant Cell Biology Post-Doc Symposium

N/A

2017

• Poster Presentation

Optimizing Tissue Culture Methods in Diverse Solanaceae Species

Solanaceae Conference

N/A

2016

• Poster Presentation

Evidence of Interspecific Hybridization or Incomplete Lineage Sorting in River Cane (Arundinaria gigantea)

American Society for Horticultural Science Conference

N/A

2016

• Oral presentation

A Family Divided: Evolution of Dry and Fleshy Fruit in Nightshades

American Society for Horticultural Science Conference

N/A

2016

• Three-Minute Thesis Competition
• 1st Place Award

Role of FRUITFULL in the Evolution of Fleshy Fruits: Optimizing Solanaceae Tissue Culture to Generate Stable Transgenic Knockout Lines

Botany Conference

N/A

2016

• Oral presentation

In Vitro Comparison of Benzyladenine and meta-Topolin on Shoot Proliferation of River Cane, a Candidate for Wetlands Restoration

American Society for Horticultural Science Conference

N/A

2015

• Poster Presentation

Raising Cane: Sustainable Bamboo Restoration in the American Southeast

American Society for Horticultural Science Conference
University of Georgia 3 Minute Thesis Competition

N/A

2015

• Three-Minute Thesis Competition
• 1st Place Award at ASHS
• Top 10 at UGA

Clonal Structure, Genetic Diversity, and in vitro Propagation of River Cane (Arundinaria gigantea), a candidate for use in wetlands reclamation

Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science Conference

N/A

2015

• Oral presentation

Disinfestation and in vitro Growth and Development of Arundinaria

UGA Interdisciplinary Graduate Plant and Soil Symposium

N/A

2014

• Oral presentation
• 1st Place Award (Masters Category)

Sterilization and in vitro Growth and Development of Arundinaria

Southern Region of North America International Plant Propagators Society Conference

N/A

2014

• Poster Presentation

Comparison of the Symptoms Caused by Three Geminiviruses in a Common Host

NCSU Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium
Drake University Conference on Undergraduate Research in the Sciences

N/A

2009

• Poster Presentation